Chatbot customization guide
Set custom instructions and conversation style in AI Chatbot Settings → General in the Sidetalk dashboard.
These two settings help the chatbot understand your company and service accurately and answer customers in your preferred tone and format.
1. Custom instructions
Custom instructions are the most important information the chatbot references when generating answers.
Enter your company or service introduction, FAQs, operating policies, and rules to follow when answering.
What should I enter?
- Company and service introductionEnter the company’s products or services, main customers, and operating purpose.
- Frequently asked questionsEnter common customer inquiries and their basic answers.
- Operating policiesEnter information customers need, such as opening hours, reservation methods, shipping, exchange, refund, and cancellation policies.
- Answer rulesEnter rules the chatbot must follow and topics it must not answer.
- Customer guidanceConfigure it to direct customers to support, an inquiry page, or agent handoff when further assistance is needed.
Writing example
Company introduction
Sidetalk is an AI chatbot service that automatically answers website visitors’ questions and connects them with a support agent when needed.
Operating hours
- We are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
- Agent handoff is generally unavailable on weekends and public holidays.
- Inquiries received outside operating hours are answered on the next business day.
Consultation guidance
- Use the registered guides to answer questions about how to use the service.
- For inquiries that require precise confirmation, suggest agent handoff instead of guessing an answer.
- Provide pricing or refund information only when it is registered.
Answer rules
- Do not guess or answer with unverified information.
- If no answer can be found, say you do not know and suggest agent handoff.
- Always use polite language with customers.
Writing tips
- Use headings and lists rather than long sentences.
- Do not enter conflicting rules together.
- Provide specific details for important information such as prices, opening hours, and refund policies.
- Markdown headings and lists help the AI distinguish content more clearly.
2. Conversation style
Conversation style sets the tone and expression the chatbot uses when answering customers.
Specify your preferred answer length, tone, explanation style, and format.
What should I enter?
- Tone and atmosphereEnter the tone you want, such as friendly, polite, professional, or calm.
- Answer lengthSpecify whether to answer briefly or explain the necessary details thoroughly.
- Answer formatEnter your preferred answer format, such as lists, steps, or short paragraphs.
- Expression styleYou can ask it to avoid difficult technical terms or explain things simply for beginners.
- LanguageSpecify the default language, such as Korean or English.
Writing example
- Always use friendly, polite language.
- Present the key information first, then provide more detail if needed.
- Explain how to use the service with numbered steps.
- Avoid difficult technical terms and use wording beginners can understand.
- Keep answers reasonably short and organize important information in lists.
Simple configuration example
Use friendly, polite language. Give the key answer briefly first, then explain procedures step by step. Do not guess unverified information; direct the customer to agent handoff instead.
3. Check your settings
After entering the settings, click Update at the bottom of the screen to save.
Once saved, use Chatbot Test to check the following.
- Whether it understands the company and service correctly
- Whether its answers follow your operating policies
- Whether the preferred tone and answer length are applied
- Whether it avoids guessing unverified information
- Whether it suggests agent handoff when needed
